Thursday, December 29, 2011

The pattern is available on my website. I am enjoying the fun and bright colors of the Basic Gray Indie Bloom paper collection.

This is a fun project with telescoping pages that have a TON of real estate. The festivities start Saturday night at 8 pm Pacific time. We will be working on the project with breaks to give away a bunch of prizes from out amazing sponsors.

Don't forget, we have a Ustream class Friday night at 7 pm Pacific as well. We will be making the Mix and Match Envelope mini album from my 12th Day of Christmas projects. I will post a supply list in the morning.

Saturday, December 24, 2011

On the Tenth Day, I made a gift card holder for that last SECOND gift:

On the Eleventh Day, I made Paper Punched Napkin Rings for our Holiday table.

And,on the Twelfth Day I made a Mix and Match Table Top Album that uses ANY and all sizes of envelopes. I will be showing how to make this one in more detail on December 30th during my regular Ustream show at 7pm.

I hope you have enjoyed these projects as much as I did. (I caught a cold in the middle and got behind, but pulled it off at the end!!) Doing this each year is my small way of saying thank you to all of you for your support throughout the year. I am so blessed to have so many friends all over the world!!

Thursday, December 22, 2011

...here is quick peek at the New Years Eve Scrap Bash Project - Step Forward Mini Album

Wait to you see the interactive component of this one!!! I hope to do a Youtube video sometime tomorrow of the album and I will show it during my regularly scheduled Friday night Ustream class (7 pm Pacific)

Kits for this are available on my website and will start shipping out on Friday. For my Canadian friends I am now offering two shipping options: 1) The same USPS service offered in the past. Shipping time can vary greatly. 2) Fed Ex Ground shipping. This option is a bit more expensive but it is only 5 business days to most locations.

Tomorrow, EVERYONE is home, so I will have to ban them from upstairs to get wrapping done. Where are those PINK Elves when I need them.....

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

...I made a Jewelry Box with a Pop-up lid. This is shown today on the Graphic 45 Blog (www.g45papers.typepad.com) I will be giving more detailed instructions on how to make it on my Ustream class on Wednesday, Dec. 21 at Noon Pacific time.

Sunday, December 18, 2011

...I made a FAST Beaded Matchbook Mini Album! This one is quick to make for a last minute (okay...maybe an hour two!) gift.

Here's how to make one for yourself:

Cut a 5 1/2" x 8 1/2" card stock for each page of the album. Score and fold at 2 1/8" in from each side. Also, score at 3/4" up from the bottom edge. The two wings should fold in and but up to each other without overlap. Punch the top edge if desired.

Add a 4" x 4" patterned paper matte to both sides.

Add a journaling spot or embellishments to the pages.

Punch holes in the binding edge of all pages. Punch about 1" in from each edge.

Make a 4" x 6" tag for each page pocket. Add patterned paper to the tags if you wish.

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

To create the Tree charm, punch 4 circles: 1 1/4", 1 1/2", 1 3/4" and 2". You will also need a Ideology Memo Pin or beading head pin. Cut all the circles in half along the center line.

To create the Angel charm, you will need three 2 1/4" half circles and a 1 1/2" scalloped circle cut in half. In addition to the Memo Pin or beading head pin, you will also need a pearl headed pin for the angel face. Check out the video for how to assemble the charms.

These charms can be made into necklaces, or charms for albums, tags or as Christmas tree ornaments.

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Graphic 45 and May Arts are teaming up for an awesome blog hop December 12-16th featuring projects posted on the blogs of both companies design teams. ! There will be tons of inspiration, fabulous prizes, incredible crafts and so much more! Behold the magic that happens when Graphic 45 vintage-inspired papers and embellishments join forces with gorgeous May Arts ribbons! Have fun and get inspired every day of this fantastic blog hop with Graphic 45 and May Arts! Here's some fun information about these two fantastic crafting companies!

Graphic 45 an award-winning scrapbook and paper crafting company­— owned and operated by a mother and her two daughters. Together they create vintage inspired crafting products that capture the flamboyant style of the 1920's and 30's - with vibrant color, irresistible texture and imaginative design to create products with decades-old appeal that's both fresh and familiar. Let their products inspire your next scrapbook layout, card, album, altered art project, or home decor DIY project.

May Arts is a ribbon wholesaler, based in Riverside, Connecticut, serving over 16,000 customers worldwide. We offer an exceptional selection of ribbons, including sheer, satin, grosgrain, silk and a variety of patterns and prints. We also maintain a steady stock of inventory so that orders can be fulfilled immediately. As one of the country’s leading wholesalers of decorative ribbons, May Arts has been providing superior products and the highest level of customer service for over 25 years.

See today's schedule for the blog hopbelow. Leave a comment on each of the blogs for your chance to win one of two amazing prize packs. Winners will be randomly chosen and announced on Monday December 19.

Here is the project I have to show you: A Bag Full of Holiday Tags!

This fun project uses a gift bag as a container for a group of tags that can hold photo's and journaling of Christmas Past or Present. It is a fast and fun project that I will be showing you how to make during a FREE Ustream class tommorow, Wednesday, December 13 at Noon Pacific Time. To work along with me you will need a small gift bag (printed or unprinted), a collection of printed paper (Graphic 45 Christmas Emporium, of course!), beautiful ribbons to embellish your tags (May Arts of course!), coordinating card stock and some light to medium weight Chip Board. During class you will learn everything you need to know to make your own Bag Full of Tags! To join in the fun, click on the Ustream logo to the right and you will go directly to my channel. You can just sit back and watch or log in to participate in the LIVE chat during the class. I look forward to "seeing" you there!

This was made from a Graphic 45 Altered Art Box, some vellum and punches and those nifty battery operated voltive candles. Check out this video to find out how to make your own!!

Check back later today for the 6th Day of Christmas project as I try to get back on track. We had a fun family weekend putting up our tree and I didn't spend as much time in the studio. Now the trick is to keep the kittens OUT of the tree for their fist Christmas!!

Friday, December 9, 2011

The Stack the Deck Mini Album Series pattern is up on the website. I will be following this pattern for the next two projects on Ustream. This takes the albums shown on my 12 Projects of Christmas to a higher level. It contains instruction for FOUR different album versions. Tonight we will make the paper Bag version and next week we will make the Flaps and Pockets version.

The kits using the Simple Stories Year-o-graphy and 25 Days of Christmas for the Flaps and Pockets Version are also up on my website.

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

...I made a Message Center. This message center is created form an Ideology Printer Tray. You won't use all of the configurable insert boxes, so I will show you how you can use those with tomorrow's project.

It has a perpetual calender at the top, a write-on surface. cork message strips, memorabilia niche's, and bottom trays for coins, keys, etc.

Here is how to make it:

Remove all the configurable box inserts from the tray. You will need two 1 3/4" x 2 3/4" and a 1 3/4" x 5 1/2" box for the top row, three 1 3/4" x 1 3/4" and two 1 3/4" x 2 3/4" for the lower row and four 2 3/4" x 2 3/4" boxes for the lower trays. Glue boxes together in rows and cover with Ideology Tissue Wrap. Cover the edges of the tray as well.

To cover the boxes, tear the tissue into smallish pieces and apply with Ranger Glue and Seal. This stuff is great! Nice matte finish and it dries to a "dry" touch.....not sticky!

Trim and attach a sheet of scrapbook paper to the center of the tray.

Glue the upper row of boxes in place

For added security, attach the tray section with glue AND some brads to the bottom rail of the tray.

Glue the lower row in place just above the tray.

Add a punched or die cut strip to the bottom edge of the upper row to help hold the calender tickets in the compartments.

Add a piece of lightweight acrylic over the center paper. Add a punched or die cut strip to cover the attachment at the top and bottom.

Score your pieces BEFORE punching the edges....it is much easier! Fold after you punch. You will also need two 3/4" circles to hold the rosette front and back. For the Face you will need a 1/2" circle. For the halo and arms, you will need two 3/4" rings of cardstock. You can also add a flower or other embellishment. Watch the video below for further instruction.

Thursday, December 1, 2011

Welcome to the TWELVE DAys of Christmas Projects 2011! Every other day until December 23rd, I will have a new project to share with you via Youtube and a tutorial here on my blog. Enjoy!!

On the FIRST Day of Christmas Projects I have a super quick and easy mini album to share with you! This fun binding style - I am calling it Stack the Deck Binding - is quick and versatile. (I will have two different uses for a variation of this binding next week during the next two Ustream classes)

To make this binding you will need some card stock and envelopes in the size and color of your choice.

Seal you envelopes closed. Cut off the side that you want next to the binding and the side opposite it....just a sliver unless you want your envelope smaller. You envelope will look like a tube. Measure the length of the opening of your envelope.

Cut your Stack the Deck binding using this dimension for the height of you pieces. The first will be 1 3/4" wide, the second is 2 1/4" wide and the third is 2 3/4". This will give you 6 pages. For more pages, add 1/2" to the width of the previous piece.

Score and fold 3/4" in from each side. The channel in the center should get larger by 1/2" from one piece to the next. Add adhesive to the back side of each channel.

Attach the layers together - STACK THE DECK! - by centering the pieces on top of each other.

Apply adhesive the the Stack the Deck binding unit to each side of each fin. Slip the open edge of the envelope over the fin....you have a page. Repeat for all pages.

Create a chipboard cover with the spine piece 1/2" wider than the widest piece in your stack. Attach stacked pages to the spine.

Add photo mattes and embellishments.

For the envelope piggy back version, you will need envelopes in two sizes. The larger envelope will be the page base and is sandwiched between the smaller envelopes. Seal the envelopes closed and slice open the center envelope as above. Slice only the top edge of the smaller envelopes. Attach to the Stack the Deck Binding in the same way as the above pages.

About Me

Hi! I am a married mother of two living in the beautiful Northwest. I grew up in Anchorage, Alaska. I moved to Seattle after graduate school. My husband is an engineer with Boeing. My son is 17 and in High School and a hockey goalie. My daughter is 14, starting High School this year. Prior to my children being born I worked for 15 years as an Interior Architect in downtown Seattle.

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The designs, pictures and instructions listed on this blog are provided here for personal use only and may not be sold, reproduced or used for commercial or submission purposes in any form without my written permission.
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I allow the sale of up to 10 completed albums of a design when you are the direct seller in a personal situation such as a craft fair or to friends and acquaintances. I ask that you do not sell to a third party for sale (i.e. a shop, boutique, or similar) or via the internet (on sites such as Etsy and Ebay) as it would put you in direct competition with me.